Millions of Gallons of Sewage Spill Into the City’s Waterways Every Time It Rains Half an Inch

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The North River Wastewater Treatment Plant is no longer spewing toxic sewage into the water, but it turns out that our local rivers are pretty gross, even in non-emergency situations. In New York City, unlike most cities, rainfall and sewage from homes and businesses flow into the same pipes. Consequently, when the city receives at least half an inch of rainfall, some of the sewer’s contents have to be diverted directly into the rivers to avoid overwhelming the city’s waste treatment plants. It’s nothing to be alarmed about, though, Department of Environmental Protection commissioner Cas Holloway tells DNA Info. “There was a time when dumping the sewage into the river — that was considered sewage treatment,” he says. There was also a time when we used leeches to balance the humors, but we grew out of thattoo.